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This article announces that Arun S. Mujumdar was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by Lodz Technical University for his distinguished accomplishments in the world's chemical and process engineering.

The global demand for scientists and engineers has increased the imperative for large transnational firms, cities, and nations to train, attract and retain highly skilled scientific personnel. Scientists move in and out of many laboratories, cities and countries through their training, careers and occupational activities. In doing so, they create research networks (dispersed knowledge networks). These networks endure long after they have moved on elsewhere. In this article we argue that it is not so much current location that is important for 'brain-drain' or 'brain-gain' but rather the places scientists have been and the networks and 'scientific conduits' they have laid down in their travels. There is potential for developing countries exporting skilled scientists to cities elsewhere to enhance science capability by 'plugging in' to these networks. We use empirical data from a survey of over 10,000 scientists and engineers from the Asia-Pacific to investigate and map this network building process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable efforts have been devoted to reliability evaluation methods for power system planning in past years, very limited research work has been done for the probabilistic reliability assessment of power system operations. There are fundamental differences between reliability assessments for system planning and operations. After introducing the basic concepts, this article presents 25 subjects, proposes an index system, and discusses special issues for system operation reliability assessment. The major challenges in this area include probabilistic simulations of system dynamics, various operation measures and remedial actions in different timescales, and special requirements in input data and computing speed. The probabilistic reliability assessment of power system operations is an important task for power system researchers and engineers today and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering practice takes place within the complex social, cultural, legal, economic, technological, and organizational system. Within this context, the engineer is expected not only to solve the technical design problem but also to satisfy broader norms and expectations, which may not be consistent with each other or with the highest standards of design. They also are not always explicitly expressed. These expectations may push the engineer toward unethical or even illegal behavior. The forces or factors in a particular instance include the values held by the engineering profession as a whole, the individual engineer's value set, the values of the employing organization, and attendant socioeconomic pressures. Individual, professional, and organizational values are not static but rather evolving responses to both long-term and short-term environmental forces. Thus, engineering ethics, both on the individual and profession-as-a-whole scale, can usefully be understood and modeled as systems phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planners, engineers and economists have introduced various demand management methods in an attempt to reduce the fast growing traffic congestion. The basic idea behind various demand management strategies is to force drivers to travel and use transportation facilities more during off-peak hours and less during peak hours, as well as to increase the usage of underutilized routes. In this paper, a new demand management concept - Auction-based Congestion Pricing - is proposed and modeled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's low enrolment in post-school engineering degrees continues to be a problem for engineering faculties and the profession generally. A qualitative interview-based study of Australian women engineers across the range of engineering disciplines showed the relevance of success in math and science at school to their enrolling in engineering at university. However, for a significant number of the women the positive self-image connected with school success was not maintained by their workplace experience. Using a mixed methods approach, further investigations of the attitudes and experiences of working engineers at three large firms suggest that engineering workplaces continue to be uneasy environments for professional women. Particular issues for women working as professional engineers are identified in this paper and some educational strategies are suggested in order to better prepare engineers for an inclusive and participatory professional life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moderating effect coping strategies have on the relationship between role overload and burnout was investigated in a sample of 222 professional engineers in the construction industry. A four-factor model of coping strategies, based on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) revised scale, was identified to consist of rational problem solving, resigned distancing, seeking support/ventilation and passive wishful thinking. The results revealed that only rational problem solving significantly moderated the relationship between role overload and all three dimensions of burnout, i.e. emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy; whereas the moderating effect of resigned distancing and seeking support/ventilation was significant only on emotional exhaustion and cynicism respectively. Passive wishful thinking failed to demonstrate a significant moderating effect on any of the burnout dimensions at all. The importance and methods of incorporating effective coping strategies as a successful intervention for managing burnout at individual, organizational and institutional levels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development initiatives are proliferating in the US and Europe as engineering educators seek to provide students with knowledge and skills to design technologies that are environmentally sustainable. Many such initiatives involve students from the 'North,' or 'developed' world building projects for villages or communities in the 'South.' Sustainable development projects in engineering education are being lauded for meeting multiple educational outcomes and providing students with important international training. This paper argues that such programmes need to educate students to think critically about their role as development professionals, to understand and value the role of community in development projects, and to develop long-term assessment criteria for such projects. It argues that engineering educators need to meaningfully engage the 'community' in sustainable community development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2007, Norman Borlaug wrote in Science magazine that 'more than 200 science journals throughout the world will simultaneously publish papers on global poverty and human development - a collaborative effort to increase awareness, interest, and research about these important issues of our time'. Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and father of the green revolution, was demonstrating that the scientific community is at last taking questions seriously of sustainability and development. Borlaug's own contentious role in the history of 'development,' however, points to the complexity of the term and the contested role scientists and engineers have played in that history. As engineering education initiatives incorporating sustainable development practices proliferate, it becomes ever more important to understand the historical lessons of development and the contributions of engineers. This paper outlines a history of engineering practice and education in relationship to development, sustainable development, and community development to help those committed to making engineering education relevant to environmental protection and community needs to better understand the challenges ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates order effects in a long evidence series in a decision-making context. The article provides an application to practicing engineering managers, a detailed explanation of the belief revision model, extensions, competing theories, implications, and experimental findings. The belief revision model was tested in a long series context and found a signifi cant recency effect, contrary to model predictions. The results suggest that the current belief revision model does not account for sequential manipulations, which affect mental effort. We recommend further investigation into the impact of mental effort and discuss the challenges that engineering managers face when trying to build knowledge to make decisions in information intensive environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the applied research methodology developed in support of a research effort to assess the value of a systemically constructed framework whose intended purpose was to capture the impact of crisis environments on distributed cognition phenomena in Air Force base control centers. The general methodological approach is presented in this journal issue because it may inform other organizational change or learning initiatives or other applied research endeavors. Specifically, the methodology stresses using systemic conceptual frameworks of environment profiles coupled with organizational fitness profiles to iteratively assess fitness, intervene by environment selection and design, and reassess fitness in hopes of improving performance. In addition to focusing on how knowledge is created and managed within the control center, the methodological approach used to develop and refine the framework may also serve to inform the process other researchers may develop to generate knowledge about other organizational phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I introduce the contributions to a special section of the journal: one devoted to the question of how engineering curricula can or should contribute to the preparation of graduates for socially responsible decision making and conduct. The special section is motivated by the circumstance that, although there is broad agreement that engineering education has a role in preparing its graduates for social responsibility, there is a considerable lack of clarity as to how graduates should be prepared for social responsibility, and what this entails for the engineering curricula. Bucciarelli and Conlon both provide reasons why, in order to prepare graduates adequately for social responsibility, considerations of the organisational, social, legal and political context in which engineers operate need to be included in the teaching. Conlon, in addition, explores the possible contributions that the field of sociology can make to this teaching. Heikkero focuses on the attitudes that are required for socially responsible professional practice and that should be taught in engineering education. Didier and Huet present the results of a survey on how the issue of corporate social responsibility is being discussed and taught in engineering education in France. Both Borsen and Zandvoort et al. report on courses that they teach, and which are aimed at preparing students for ethical and social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the US, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) recommends the study of ethics so that students acquire 'an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility'. For the most part, teaching of the subject relies upon the use of scenarios - both hypothetical and 'real'- and open discussion framed by the codes. These scenarios and this framing are seriously deficient - lacking in their attention to the complexities of context, almost solely focused on individual agency, while reflecting too narrow and simplistic a view of the responsibilities of the practicing engineer. A critique of several exemplary scenarios, and consideration of the demands placed upon today's professional, prompt reflection on the need for, not just a more expansive reading of the codes of ethics re what it might mean to be 'responsible', but a substantial reform of undergraduate engineering education across the board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reasons behind the demand for what is sometimes called the New Engineer are critically examined and it is argued that a focus on employability alone is not sufficient to prepare socially responsible engineers. By examining issues around work organisation and sustainability it is proposed that engineers need to understand the wider social context in which they work. It is argued that the focus of ethics education should be broadened to focus on the social structure and the way it both enables and constrains socially responsible conduct. There is a call to refocus engineers' attitudes towards the systems of regulation so they see them not only as constraints but as potential enablers supporting socially responsible engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designers are increasingly expected to consider the cost impact of their decisions. In order to quantify this impact, detailed estimates need to be prepared for the various design concepts. This paper presents a study comparing the cognitive actions of designers and professional cost estimators. The cognitive actions of designers were identified from previously published research, while the cost estimators were investigated for the first time utilizing protocol analysis techniques and a unique coding scheme developed for the study. The key similarities and differences between the two domains are then identified. The findings illustrate the key training requirements for designers to effectively produce estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been teaching applied molecular genetics to engineers and adapted the teaching methodology to the European Credit Transfer System. We teach core principles of genetics that are universal and form the conceptual basis of most molecular technologies. The course then teaches widely used techniques and finally shows how different techniques can be put together to solve specific technological problems from the environmental and food industry. Students from Spain, France, Turkey, and Poland have been able to understand and use simple scientific literature and propose experimental strategies as essays to tackle simple problems of technical interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial and occupational distribution of women is such that women are concentrated predominately in a few occupations, mostly in the service sector, such as banking, finance, insurance, public administration, hotel, and catering. Men and women are equal in their capabilities in almost every respect, provided that women are given the same opportunities as men for training, employment, and promotion. There is a lack of research studies on women in the construction industry; therefore this field needs special consideration. The purpose of the current study is to find out working conditions of the Palestinian women civil and architect engineers in the construction industry in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. In addition, it attempts to examine their career prospects and to understand problems experienced by these women throughout their academic years as well as in their careers. Discrimination against women is still present in today's construction industry as well as in other traditional engineering cultures. In order to minimise or cope with this problem, attitudinal change by both men and women is strongly suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction management requires engineers to acquire effectively and efficiently management experience. Most experience management (EM) in the construction industry focuses on explicit experience (such as writing reports and documents). Furthermore, tacit experience is usually more difficult to acquire than explicit experience. This study proposes an After the Issue Review (AIR) approach to acquire experience from engineers involved in construction projects, and effectively enhance experience sharing through a web-based platform. Moreover, an AIR Construction Pattern (AIRCP) scheme is proposed and utilized to codify and edit the acquired experience. The web-based experience management system presents a user-friendly interface of an experience-sharing platform, through which engineers learn valuable tacit experience derived from previous projects. Finally, a case study involving tunnel construction for expressway projects in Taiwan is utilized to validate the proposed approach and demonstrate the effectiveness of experience acquisition and management in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of geostatistics are being increasingly considered by reservoir analysts and engineers in generating more accurate reservoir models together with usable measures of spatial uncertainty. Geostatistics provides a probabilistic framework and a toolbox for data analysis with early integration of information. In this research, hydrocarbon volume of a field is estimated considering different parameters as gross rock volume, net to gross rock thickness, porosity, permeability, and saturation. Therefore, it can be concluded that a statistical treatment that recognizes both the lack of knowledge and the uncertainty of the parameters involved in the forecast of reservoir performance is desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues on the scientistic mentality which dominate in the Ottoman modernization process. It demonstrates the early shinings of scientistic mentality. The formation of this attitude through the example given by Seyyid Mustafa, one of the first Ottoman engineers who wrote in the first half of the nineteenth century was examined. Modern science in the Ottoman modernization period did not always show the same thing but it changed over time. Because of it, different meanings were characterized during the Tanzimat, the Hamidian, and the Young Turk eras.

The Knowledge Management discourse continues to develop in relation to both theory and practice. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies of Knowledge Management in the public sector. In this sector the flow of people-based knowledge (knowledge transfer) across processes and different organizational levels has more significance than that of the private sector. The aim of the paper is to explore the flow of knowledge (knowledge transfer), from document/contract preparation through to site implementation for a Public Sector Procurement Agency. A series of multi-level semi-structured interviews and secondary data is used. The findings show the need for an increased emphasis on lateral knowledge transfer and a diminishing of the traditional pyramidal approach to knowledge. Enabling influences included managing the development of experienced staff, appropriate ICT systems and collaborative teams. Barriers included over-reliance on consultants with consequent loss of experience and lack of empowerment of on-site engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic load is identified as one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in the assessment of bridges. In recent years, simulation techniques, using measured traffic data, have been used to predict the characteristic traffic load effects on bridges. However, the techniques are complex, sensitive to the assumptions adopted and require specialist statistical expertise. This work presents a simplified site-specific traffic load model that generates comparable load effects to the corresponding results from a full simulation. While the simplified model is still sensitive to the underlying assumptions, these can be carefully reviewed prior to the method being approved. Further, the simplified method can be employed by practising engineers for bridge assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author relates on the abandonment of science misconception research. He argues that science misconception research is substantial and fruitful for science teaching, and adds that this topic has benefits in terms of teaching. An overview of the electronic mail message from a certain engineer who asked a research done on best teaching is offered. He discusses issues that emphasize the importance of giving value to misconception research.

Worldwide, there is growing interest in the development of a rational reliability-based geotechnical design code. The reasons for this interest are at least two-fold; first, geotechnical engineers face significantly more uncertainties than those faced in other fields of engineering, therefore there is a need to properly characterize and deal with these uncertainties. Second, for decades, structural engineers have used a reliability-based design code, and there is a need to develop the same for geotechnical engineers, in order that the two groups can 'speak the same language'. This paper develops a theoretical model to predict the probability that a shallow foundation will exceed its supporting soil's bearing capacity. The footing is designed using characteristic soil properties (cohesion and friction angle) derived from a single sample, or 'core', taken in the vicinity of the footing, and used in a load and resistance factor design approach. The theory predicting failure probability is validated using a two-dimensional random finite element method analysis of a strip footing. Agreement between theory and simulation is found to be very good. Therefore, the theory can be used with confidence to perform risk assessments of foundation designs and develop resistance factors for use in code provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new way to solve singular perturbation problems is introduced. It is designed for the practicing engineer or applied mathematician who needs a practical tool for these problems (easy to use, modest problem preparation and ready computer implementation). In this paper, we consider singularly perturbed two-point boundary value problems with the boundary layer at one end (left or right) point. An initial-value technique is used for its solution. However, this technique is based on the boundary layer behavior of the solution. It is distinguished by the following fact: The original second order problem is replaced by an asymptotically equivalent first-order problem and is solved as an initial-value problem via cubic spline. Numerical experience with several linear and non-linear examples is described. It is observed that the present method approximates the exact solution very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current study was to investigate the personality characteristics of a group of engineers with a variety of years of experience. It was executed to remedy shortcomings of the literature concerning this issue and to produce suggestions for a postgraduate training programme for engineers. A total of103 engineers were tested with the five-factor personality inventory (FFPI), a 'big five' personality test of Dutch origin. The engineers were shown to score lower on the factor agreeableness, and higher on the factors extraversion, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and autonomy than a national comparison group. The older the engineers, the more conscientious and autonomous they were. In addition, engineers with lower degrees were more conscientious than engineers with higher degrees. A practical implication of the findings for the postgraduate training of engineers is that more attention should be paid to the development of interpersonal skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how contemporary professional associations employ discourses of knowledge as a means of promoting professionalism. By analysing policy documents from the Norwegian associations for teachers, nurses, engineers and accountants, we reveal dominant knowledge discourses and discuss how they serve to position the associations in distinct ways towards practitioners, working fields and the public community. Our analysis shows that the knowledge work of the four associations is constructed quite differently, and that this is related to differences in their notions of professional knowledge, their view on standardisation and the structure of their professional field. Moreover, all associations draw on several and partly contradictory discourses. Modern professionalism depends on a reflexive management of knowledge and learning within a context of negotiation between different concerns. We particularly discuss the challenge of balancing between professional-internal and -external demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the second half of the 20th century, at the time of the foundation of the Fifth Republic, French engineers endorsed enthusiastically technocratic ideals. Their attitude was not only the product of a specific context. It was rooted in a long tradition of connection between French engineering and social preoccupations. This connection emerged at the time of the creation of the first corps of State engineers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Indeed, State Weber engineers were from the start convinced that they had a social mission. Subsequent episodes, like the Saint-Simonian reflections on the eve of industrialization, or the discussions held in the think tank X-Crise in the aftermath of the 1929 economic crisis contributed also to shape the engineers' sensitivity to social issues. Dwelling on these episodes, but also trying to go beyond their standard assessment, we would like to propose here a more general interpretation of the complex set of relations between French engineering and social thought. In this perspective, the Post-World War II French engineers' technocratic concerns come at the end of a long and complex evolution. This case study should enable a better understanding of the more general connivance between engineering culture and technocratic ideals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines initiatives in engineering formation in the USA as, in part, responses to dominant territorial identities defining what counts as progress. The absence of a primary method of engineering formation during the antebellum period suggests that no metric of progress had yet scaled up to a level of dominance. Robert Thurston's efforts in the 1890s to scale up school-based formation without liberal education did not fit a country that emphasized high-volume production at low costs. The attempts of the Wickenden study in the 1920s to achieve coordination did not fit a country highlighting self-realization through consumption. The 1955 Grinter Report achieved great success when the sudden appearance of Sputnik scaled up a new territorial identity for the USA. Overall, by responding to the evolving metric of low cost, mass use, advocates of engineering formation have designed engineers to serve the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and analyzes the relationship between engineers' identity and the construction of the Mexico from Independence to the present. It covers the main periods of political change in Mexican history to highlight how engineers' identities are (re)shaped when the relationship between the State and its population changes. It focuses on the development of engineering education institutions as sites of identity formation where engineers' identities acquire new meanings when the relationship between State, engineers and population is redefined. It concludes with a brief analysis of how engineers' identities today are coping with the challenges of globalization and privatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the world of French State engineers in the first half of the 19th century and it aims to present an overall perspective of its most marked features. After briefly examining the different engineering corps of the Ancien Régime and their training institutes, it goes on to deal with the foundation of the Ecole Polytechnique in 1794, which gave French State engineers a unity and a collective identity that had heretofore been lacking, and transformed them into members of a technocratic milieu. The core of the article consists of exploring the professional aspects of this 'technocracy' (its internal organization, the values and self-image of its members, etc.), its cultural and intellectual features, especially the idea of systematically 'applying' scientific knowledge to the practical problems encountered by engineers, and the profile of the technocratic intellectual elite, i.e. the engineer-savant, the proponent and 'implementer' of the 'application' ideal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses on the massive increase in the number of research devoted to the modern nation. According to the author, historical form of political and social organization is one characteristic feature of modernity that interest academics such as historians, sociologist, and anthropologists. These academics have analyzed the emergence and development of different kinds of nationalism. However, researchers that devote to the history of engineers and engineering, has recorded impressively.

This article deals with the national identity of Greek engineers in the inter-war era. It attempts to highlight both the 'objective' dimensions (demography, education, sectors of activity, organization of profession) and the corresponding 'subjective' components of this identity. The paper shows that inter-war Greek engineers were a socio-professional group with strong elitist characteristics that claimed a leading social role in the country's modernization and westernization race. This was expressed in a variety of ideological schemes, from the rationalization ideal to technocracy and, ultimately, to a Greek version of reactionary modernism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the changing relationship between the Italian engineering profession and the idea of Nation in Italy between the 18th and the early 20th centuries. The main premise is that the modernization of the conditions for exercising the profession began in the pre-unification states, well before the movement towards national unification, and that it is precisely in this diverse history that the essence of the identity of Italian engineers is to be found. Many specific features of the Italian engineering landscape can be traced back to this history: from the strength of 'localism', embodied for example by municipal engineers, to the various legacies inherited from the professional organizations of the Ancien Régime. The aim of this article is to analyse changes in the national identity of Italian engineers in relation to the specific form of nation-state building process the country experienced and to the specific forms of professional organization in the peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the wider lessons to be obtained from the story of the CSIRO-related start-up company, Radiata Inc. It shows how CSIRO's sustained trans-disciplinary capability-building efforts in radio-astronomy helped to produce a generation of electronic engineers well-versed in cutting-edge integrated circuit design and development who were also able to work effectively in commercial environments. Collaboration between radio-astronomers and engineers continued to develop via joint CSIRO-Macquarie University work examining wireless Local Area Network solutions based on mathematical techniques used in radio-astronomy and utilising state-of-the-art chip design methods. This work culminated in the formation of Radiata Inc. and its subsequent acquisition by Cisco Systems in 2001, to be followed by Cisco's withdrawal from wireless chip development in 2004. The paper considers the wider implications of this story, highlighting the importance of trans-disciplinary capability-building to increasing the odds of success in the risky process of innovating. It concludes that CSIRO should continue to develop its options-based approach to valuing R&D outcomes in order to better demonstrate the ways in which capability-building can generate improved odds of success in innovation for a wide range of businesses - provided that they have access to the skilled staff generated by this type of 'rounded' training related to basic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a rapid growth in the number of studies into the behaviour of designers in recent years and therefore it is necessary to provide a critical analysis of this work to identify the most popular techniques currently being utilized to capture cognitive behaviour. Following an introduction to the theory of cognition, this paper goes on to discuss specific tools and techniques that are currently being utilized to capture cognitive behaviour. Examples of the implementation of these techniques are then presented to allow a review of their success and limitations. The paper concludes that a considerable amount of research has begun to identify the role of cognition in design. It is recommended, however, that, before further research is carried out, work should focus on clarifying the successful implementation of tools and techniques being used to capture the cognitive behaviour of designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic engineers who are interested in teaching often find themselves, either formally or informally, taking on the role of 'education developer' for their department or faculty. The trend to move towards educational development within disciplines is fairly recent and brings with it a range of interesting opportunities and challenges. Here we will look at the various issues that might occur and provide a way of looking at these that enable faculty in this position to select the most appropriate alternative for their own context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transformation model of engineering education at the undergraduate level is constructed to define the human and technical resources that contribute to the production of a university-trained engineer. The theory of technical systems is applied in the development of the model to transform a graduating pre-university pupil into a university-trained engineer. Two co-aligned themes are identified as the executive system and the execution system, which dictate who and what will do the work and how the work will be completed, respectively. The model is an extension of an existing model and further depicts the duality of the pre-university pupil as an operator and as the operand as related to engineering education. Consequently, the proposed model details the student perspective from the bottom-up in an implicit manner and the top-down perspective from administrators and professors in an explicit manner. The model's utility is in providing a means by which to coordinate efforts of pre-college and university-level educational sectors in the production of entry-level engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an empirical study, the use of knowledge by two groups of students and a group of professional engineers' use of knowledge when solving complex problems was investigated. The applied method was adopted from similar investigations within the field of medicine. Qualitative analysis of problem descriptions, solutions and interviews show interesting differences between novice, intermediate and expert groups. Results resembling those found in medicine are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FIDIC has over the years produced standard forms of contracts for the international procurement of projects. A source of continuing criticism of its Red Book concerns the duality in the traditional role of the engineer as the employer's agent and as an independent third party holding the balance fairly between the employer and the contractor. In response to this and other criticisms FIDIC produced a replacement for it in 1999. The role of the engineer under the new Red Book is critically examined in the light of relevant case law, expert commentaries and feedback from two multidisciplinary workshops with international participation. The examination identified three major changes: (1) a duty to act impartially has been replaced by a duty to make fair determination of certain matters; (2) it is open to parties to allow greater control of the engineer by the employer by stating in the appropriate part of the contract powers the engineer must not exercise without the employer's approval; (3) there is provision for a Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB) to which disputes may be referred. Although the duality has not been eliminated completely, the contract is structured flexibly enough to support those who wish to contract on the basis of the engineer acting solely as the agent of the employer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the supervision system has been adopted in the construction industry for more than 10 years in China, a professional liability insurance system for the supervision engineer has yet to be established. The implementation of a professional liability insurance for the supervision engineer in China is suggested. The range of issues cover the professional liabilities and typical professional faults of the supervision engineer, the scope of the insurance liability, exclusions, insurance types and the assured. The three premium-rating methods are presented. A five-thrust implementation strategy for professional liability insurance for the supervision engineer is offered in order to overcome the main obstacles. The data applied for the analysis in the study were collected from a comprehensive questionnaire survey to the Shenzhen-based supervision firms. Selected interviews were conducted to supplement the survey data. This study provides a valuable reference for further research in examining project supervision practices in other construction industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High skills are today seen as being of vital importance to economies, industries, companies and individuals. The engineering industry is no exception and the graduate engineer has a key position in this regard. In the research reported in this paper, the authors use in-depth interviews with industry experts to investigate the provision of undergraduate engineering education in the UK. The current and future skill needs of industry are examined. A typology of future engineering roles and their requisite attributes is proposed. Implications for undergraduate engineering are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiation is one of the most important concepts in calculus, which has been used almost everywhere in many fields of mathematics and applied mathematics. It is natural that numerical differentiation should be an important technique for the engineers. However, since it is ill-posed in Hadamard's sense, which means that any small error in the measurements will be enlarged, it is very difficult for the engineers to use this technique. In this article, we propose a new simple numerical method to reconstruct the original function and its derivatives from scattered input data and show that our method is effective and can be realized easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Libyan construction industry, the supervising engineer plays an important role in checking time schedules and protecting the client from delays and associated claims but there is no existing means of determining their proficiency in performing this task. A list of factors identifying a broad range of characteristics and skills necessary for the effective supervision of construction projects is compiled. A field survey comprising semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with 32 client and contractor project managers experienced in the Libyan construction sector is undertaken. The responses are used to develop a method of assessing the effectiveness of supervising engineers in dealing with construction project delays through a set of weighted criteria which are scored according to currently perceived levels of performance. The results indicate that Libyan supervising engineers are currently deficient in a number of areas, particularly communication skills (33%); obtained scientific, technical and legal knowledge (34%); knowledge in dealing with claims (36%); previous experience (37%); knowledge and use of modern techniques (37%). These factors are therefore a key focus for the professional development needs of supervising engineers and the method of assessment should assist clients in the process of selection and appointment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many researchers believe that quality and productivity should be positively related, it is not uncommon for managers in manufacturing environments to doubt that this positive relationship exists. Most of the researchers who address quality and productivity base their assertions on logical reasoning and not on empirical mathematical models. The reason may be due to the small number of models that relate these two concepts. Another reason may be that the models that do exist have major deficiencies that cause them to be inapplicable in the real world. This article investigates the mathematical relationship between quality and productivity. A new mathematical model of the quality-productivity relationship is presented. Unlike existing models, this new model was designed not only to be descriptive but to also be applicable in industry. A field study involving two manufacturing industries was conducted to confirm applicability and validity of this model. Given that the model is based on profit, the results of this study substantiate the belief that quality and productivity improvement can produce increases in profit and are thus worthy of emphasis by engineers and managers as well as engineering economics researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with thorny issues that confront every experimenter, i.e., how to handle individual results that do not appear to fit with the rest of the data. It provides graphical tools that make it easy to diagnose what is wrong with response data - damaging outliers and/or a need for transformation. The trick is to maintain a reasonable balance between two types of errors: (1) deleting data that vary only due to common causes, thus introducing bias to the conclusions. (2) not detecting true outliers that occur due to special causes. Such outliers can obscure real effects or lead to false conclusions. Furthermore, an opportunity may be lost to learn about preventable causes for failure or reproducible conditions leading to breakthrough improvements (making discoveries more or less by accident). Two real life data sets are reviewed. Neither reveals its secrets at first glance. However, with the aid of various diagnostic plots (readily available in off-the-shelf statistical software), it becomes much clearer what needs to be done. Armed with this knowledge, quality engineers will be much more likely to draw the proper conclusions from experiments that produce bad (discrepant) data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To test the effectiveness of the FHWA guidelines for intersection design. Methods. In an experimental design we used kinematics measures from an instrumented vehicle and behavioral (error) data collected during on-road evaluations to quantify the effects of improved versus unimproved intersections (turn phase) and to determine if these intersections were safer (vehicular stability and driver confidence) for both older (65–85 years) and younger (25 –45) drivers. We analyzed kinematics data with a 2 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA and behavioral data (driving errors yes, no) with Wilcoxon sign rank test (within subject variable: intersection improved vs. unimproved) and Wilcoxon rank sum test (between subject variable: age, younger vs. older driver). Results. Kinematics measures (turn phase), showed three maneuvers had statistically significantly lesser side forces (measured by lateral acceleration and combined acceleration) for the improved conditions, and four maneuvers had statistically significantly greater, yet appropriate, speeds for the improved conditions. Lesser side forces indicated improved lateral stability and increased speed indicated greater confidence. Drivers made fewer errors on two of the improved intersections; but across all maneuvers, older drivers appeared to make fewer errors on the improved intersections. Conclusions. This study brings empirical intersection design and safety information for engineers and city planners to consider as they plan and develop intersections. Future researchers may want to use the conceptual and analytical framework of this study to determine the effectiveness of other FHWA guidelines. Given that these intersection design guidelines benefit younger and older drivers alike, plausible policy-making opportunities are opened in the design of safe roadway systems, to benefit the broad spectrum of adult drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In slope stability analysis, the search for the minimum factor of safety is a difficult NP-hard global minimization problem as the objective function is non-smooth and non-convex and there are multiple local minima. The use of a simulated annealing method where the control variables are controlled within dynamic domains instead of the conventional static domains is proposed. A simple transformation technique for slopes with a soft band domain (equivalent to a Dirac function) is also proposed. With these improvements, the minimum factor of safety for complicated problems can be determined with high accuracy and reasonable computer time. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated to be efficient and effective for various difficult problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Getting talented engineers and scientists to take appropriate risks is one of the keys to building a more innovative organization. Boeing has worked to accomplish this over the past nine years by emphasizing educational opportunities, recognition programs, challenging work assignments, sharing the lessons learned, and communication that is "frequent, open and honest." Organizationally, Boeing's Phantom Works has been its catalyst for innovation across the company, providing technology to the business units and learning from them at the same time. One of the many learnings is that good ideas are found mostly outside the organization; hence, Boeing has established listening posts and partnerships around the world. But above all, it is leadership that leads the way to business success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

I By Prof. Marion Rauch and Stefanie Röscher, Members of YEC 2019 Organising Committee i On 11-12 October 2019, the 6th Young Engineers Colloquium (YEC) took place in Germany and the successful format established by the German Group of IABSE in cooperation with another IABSE National Group was continued. The Colloquium offers young engineers, under the age of 35 years, the opportunity to present their projects from engineering practice and academia to an international audience. [Extracted from the article]